“Sport Scientist at Precision and Fuel Hydration, Chris Harris best tips on nutrition and hydration”.

25 Feb

Written By Amy Monkman

Part II

Top tips! PF&H products and fueling strategy.

What was your fueling strategy?
On “normal” swims?

I pre-fuelled at breakfast with some plain carbohydrates like rice porridge or white bread plus a little bit of protein with eggs. Then I took a PF 30 Caffeine Gel <15 mins before each swim.

Pre-hydration was essential as I knew swimming in a wetsuit I'd be sweating quite a lot more than in the pool, regardless of the distance, so I drank 500ml of PH 1500 each morning and evening.

On marathon swim?

Same as for the shorter swims, pre-fueling and hydrating optimally. Then carrying up to 4 additional PF 30 Gels inside my wetsuit (either up my arm sleeves or sticking out of my leg cuffs) to have 1 every 25-30 minutes.

In-water feed stations experience (what’s different, how do PF&H product and packaging help when you’re eating directly in the water)

On the brief occasions that we 'stopped' at the feed stations (maximum of ~15 seconds), I made sure I grabbed as many cups of Carb Only Drink Mix to get some fluids in whilst getting some 'bonus fuel' as well. I also tried to take a pre-opened PF 30 Gel as well to save me using one of my in-wetsuit Gels. The Gel wrappers have a non-rip strip at the top meaning the lid stays attached to prevent littering, and the packaging is completely waterproof so you can carry gels underwater without issue.

What is different in terms of nutrition when you go for a longer swim in one go?

When swimming longer it's more important to start fueling and hydrating earlier on in the swim. If you leave it too long, your energy and hydration levels will deteriorate too much, and you'll struggle to keep going after a while. Practice taking something within the first 20-30 minutes if you're going long, and keep regularly topping up. Even if you feel like you don't 'need' it yet, you don't want to be running out before trying to start refilling your fuel tank as you'll likely never catch up.